When you say "Exposing for the highlights is the best method IMHO" and "control a highlight with exposure" are you talking about in the darkroom or in the camera/on the film? I ask because there are those who would disagree with you if you are talking about in camera exposures.
This is my process:
for film:
Expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights!
for paper:
Expose for the highlights and control the shadows with contrast!
I hesitate to admit it, but for years now, I use a densitometer to verify what my eyes and brain have decided. It is my experience that I get more consistency this way. After a long printing session, the body gets tired and everything starts to look 'good enough'. The densitometer keeps me honest and often chases me back into the darkroom saying: 'come on, you can do better than that'.
The eye's sensitivity to tonal changes is impressive! Viewed next to each other, differences of 1/24 stop can easily be seen in Zone II or VIII at normal grades (goes down to 1/96 stop in Zone V), but I limit my printing efforts to 1/12 stop to keep it practical.
I mainly use a dichroic color head and calibrated settings to compensate for the highlight point at Zone VIII shifting with contrast changes.
Ralph, could you explain how to use this chart when switching contrast?
Very true. Its amazing how tired your eyes can become! living with a print for a few weeks is the ideal, then going back and tweaking things. That worked for me when doing more 'fine art/landscape' work but is totally impractical with reportage and 50-100 shots to print! I think dimming the inspection light is important and concluded that mine was too bright.
I recommend an illumination of about EV7 (100 ASA) at the print evaluation board. If darkroom lights are too bright, prints will look too dark when displayed in dimmer conditions.
Ralph:
I haven't the time right now to check whether this information is in edition 1 of Way Beyond Monochrome but you should make a point of having it in version 2.
Matt
Matt
I ow you one. It is actually in WBM1 on page 60 and 240 in the caption, but there is rightly states EV6 and not EV7, which is wrong. It will also be in WBM2, as we have almost dropped nothing and only added 250 pages, but your question made me check it, and you prevented an error before it was printed.
Thanks a lot!
...It will also be in WBM2, as we have almost dropped nothing and only added 250 pages...
Not to pressure you, I understand from your post WBM2 is still to goto the printers, but what is the anticipated pub. date? Thanks.
I recommend an illumination of about EV7 (100 ASA) at the print evaluation board. If darkroom lights are too bright, prints will look too dark when displayed in dimmer conditions.
Ralph, is this EV7 (ISO100) off a gray card if held against the viewing board?
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